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Women's Day 2018: Women and conservation

Thursday, 8 March 2018

Women's Day is an occasion to celebrate the power of women, and the often overlooked role they play in society.

World Heritage preservation is no different from any other sector - women play a crucial role in conservation, and their influence is increasing.

Women are the caretakers of the sacred site the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (Uganda). Female rangers protect Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) - the first site in the region to have female rangers. The religious communities of Béguinages in northern Europe still exist as communities 'self-managed by independent women’. Please find some stories at https://whc.unesco.org/en/review/78/.

But not everyone knows about the conservation work that women are doing. Only 17% of profiles on Wikipedia are of women, and UNESCO and Wikipedia Foundation are helping to bridge the digital gap. With the #Wiki4Women initiative, UNESCO is calling on everyone to take a few minutes to create, enrich or translate a Wikipedia portrait of women. Please join and include those committed to the conservation of cultural or natural heritage. For the initiative, sign up here.